JP2006067333A - Method and system for data transmission, mobile terminal apparatus and data receiving apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a huge amount of data to be transmitted readily. <P>SOLUTION: A data source 10 can output dummy light for deciding an optical axis with big beam divergence and signal light with beam divergence on an identical optical axis. The output optical axis 20 of the data source 10 is scanned, in such a manner that the light-receiving unit of a data receiver 12 is crossed. A control circuit 34 makes a transmission circuit 36 send a receivable signal, and makes a data demodulation circuit 38 prepare for data demodulation, when detecting a dummy light for deciding the optical axis higher than the predetermined optical level from output of photodiode 32. When a receiving circuit 28 receives the receivable signal from the transmission circuit 36; a drive circuit 24 reads out data from a memory 22 and drives a laser diode 14. The data demodulation circuit 38 demodulates data from the output signal of the photodiode 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a data transmission method and system, a portable terminal device, and a data receiving device.

  The demand for transmitting a large amount of data has arisen due to the fact that various mobile terminals have handled images, and in particular, the fact that cameras have been equipped. In particular, a portable terminal equipped with a camera can record a still image or a moving image, and a method of transmitting these image data to the outside is desired. Conventionally, a method of attaching to an e-mail has been adopted.

  However, as the number of pixels on one screen increases, the data amount of one image data has increased remarkably, and the method of transmitting to another device by attaching it to an e-mail is heavy and the communication cost is high. Become.

  High-speed transmission is easily possible with the wired system, but it is not only troublesome to connect the signal line, but it is also necessary to always carry a signal cable compatible with both the own terminal and the other device, etc. There is a problem with actual use.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a data transmission method and system, a portable terminal device, and a data receiving device that transmit a large amount of data to another device easily by optical space transmission.

  In the data transmission method according to the present invention, first, a data transmission device capable of outputting on the same optical axis the dummy light for optical axis determination and the signal light having a beam spread smaller than the beam spread of the dummy light for optical axis determination However, the optical axis determination dummy light is scanned and output so as to cross the light receiving unit of the data receiving device. When the data reception device receives the optical axis determination dummy light having a predetermined light level or higher, the data reception device notifies the data transmission device that reception is possible and prepares for data reception. The data transmitting apparatus outputs data to the data receiving apparatus using the signal light in accordance with the notification of the reception possibility from the data receiving apparatus. The data receiving device receives the signal light from the data transmitting device and receives the data.

  A data transmission system according to the present invention is a data transmission system that transmits data from a data transmission device to a data reception device by spatial transmission. The data transmission device includes a laser light source that generates signal light, a dummy light source that generates dummy light for optical axis determination, and a beam spread of the signal light that is smaller than a beam spread of the dummy light for optical axis determination. An optical system that outputs the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light on the same optical axis, a receiving circuit that receives a receivable signal from the data receiving device, and reception from the data receiving device by the receiving circuit A drive circuit for outputting the signal light carrying the data to the laser light source in accordance with reception of the enable signal, and receiving the optical axes of the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light by the data receiving device. It is possible to scan across the section. The data receiver includes a light receiver for receiving the optical axis determination dummy light and the signal light, a level detector for detecting whether an output electric signal of the light receiver is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, and When the output electrical signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, according to the detection result of the level detector, the transmission circuit that transmits the receivable signal to the data transmission device and the output electrical signal of the light receiver is equal to or higher than the predetermined level In accordance with the detection result of the level detector, data demodulation from the output electrical signal of the light receiver is prepared, a data demodulation circuit for demodulating data contained in the output electrical signal of the light receiver, and the reception result of the data are notified Receiving result notification means.

  A portable terminal device according to the present invention is a portable terminal device that transmits data to a data receiving device by spatial transmission, a laser light source that generates signal light, a dummy light source that generates dummy light for optical axis determination, An optical system for outputting the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light on the same optical axis by making the beam spread of the signal light smaller than the beam spread of the optical axis determination dummy light, and from the data receiving device A receiving circuit for receiving a receivable signal; and a drive circuit for outputting the signal light carrying the data to the laser light source in accordance with reception of the receivable signal from the data receiving device by the receiving circuit. Features.

  The data transmission method according to the present invention outputs a laser beam that does not carry data in a data transmission standby state, and receives data from a data transmission device that outputs a signal light that is a laser beam that carries data according to a data transmission start command. This is a data transmission method for transmitting the data to a device by spatial propagation. First, the data transmission device is shaken sideways so that the laser beam output from the data transmission device crosses the light receiving unit of the data reception device. When the data receiving device receives the laser light having a predetermined light level or higher, the data receiving device notifies the data transmitting device that reception is possible and prepares for data reception. The data transmitting apparatus outputs the signal light to the data receiving apparatus in accordance with the reception enable notification from the data receiving apparatus. The data receiving device receives the signal light from the data transmitting device and receives the data.

  A data transmission system according to the present invention is a data transmission system that transmits data from a data transmission device to a data reception device by spatial transmission. The data transmitting device outputs a laser light source, an optical system that projects the laser light to the outside, a receiving circuit that receives a receivable signal from the data receiving device, and the data reception by the receiving circuit And a drive circuit for driving the laser light source so as to carry the data in accordance with reception of a receivable signal from the apparatus. The data receiving device converts the laser light into an electrical signal, the condensing optical system that focuses the laser light from the data transmitting device on the light receiver, and the level of the output electrical signal of the light receiver A level determiner for determining the level, a transmission circuit for transmitting the receivable signal to the data transmitter when the output electrical signal of the light receiver is equal to or higher than a predetermined level according to the determination result of the level determiner, and the level According to the determination result of the determination device, when the output electrical signal of the light receiver is above a predetermined level, prepare data demodulation from the output electrical signal of the light receiver, and demodulate the data contained in the output electrical signal of the light receiver A data demodulating circuit, and a reception result notifying means for notifying the reception result of the data.

  A data receiving apparatus according to the present invention is a data receiving apparatus that receives data carried by spatial transmission of laser light from a data transmitting apparatus, a light receiver that converts the laser light into an electrical signal, and the data transmitting apparatus A condensing optical system for condensing the laser light from the light receiver, a level determiner for determining the level of the output electric signal of the light receiver, and the output electric power of the light receiver according to the determination result of the level determiner When the signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the transmission circuit that transmits the receivable signal to the data transmission device and the determination result of the level determiner, the output electrical signal of the light receiver is equal to or higher than the predetermined level, Prepare data demodulation from the output electrical signal of the photoreceiver, demodulate the data contained in the output electrical signal of the photoreceiver, and receive the notification result of the data Characterized by comprising the result notifying unit.

  According to the present invention, data can be transmitted at high speed and simply using optical space transmission. Since narrow beam signal light can be used, high-speed data transmission is possible. Since the optical axis is scanned and data is transmitted at high speed within a very short time when the optical axis matches the light receiving unit, a large amount of data can be transmitted almost instantaneously. Since fine adjustment of the optical axis is unnecessary, it can be used easily.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. The data transmission device 10 is, for example, a mobile phone, and transmits data to the data reception device 12 by optical space transmission. The optical axis adjustment of the optical space transmission path between the data transmission device 10 and the data reception device 12 is performed manually. However, as described later, since high-speed transmission is possible, data transmission itself can be completed in a short time.

  The configuration and basic operation of the data transmitting apparatus 10 will be described. The data transmission device 10 is used by the data reception device 12 to determine whether or not the optical axis between the laser diode 14 that generates signal light for carrying data and the light receiving unit of the data reception device 12 is likely to be aligned. A laser diode 16 that outputs a dummy laser beam for determining an optical axis is provided.

  The output lights of the laser diodes 14 and 16 are combined on the same optical axis 20 by the projection optical system 18 and projected to the outside. However, the output signal light of the laser diode 14 is emitted to the outside from the data transmission device 10 with a small spread angle, and the output dummy light of the laser diode 16 is emitted to the outside from the data transmission device 10 with a wider spread angle than the signal light. Is done. The projection optical system 18 includes a half mirror 18a that combines the output signal light of the laser diode 14 and the output dummy light of the laser diode 16, and a plurality of lenses 18b for projecting the signal light and the dummy light at a desired beam divergence angle. , 18c, 18d.

  The dummy laser light is preferably visible light. Thereby, the user of the data transmission apparatus 10 can visually confirm the irradiation point of the signal light.

  The memory 22 stores data to be transmitted, for example, image data. The drive circuit 24 drives the laser diode 14 according to the data read from the memory 22. As a result, the laser diode 14 outputs signal light that carries data read from the memory 22 by intensity modulation. The drive circuit 26 drives the laser diode 16 by direct current drive or pulse drive at an appropriate frequency.

  The receiving circuit 28 receives a receivable signal from the data receiving device 12. When receiving the receivable signal, the reception circuit 28 applies a data transmission start signal to the drive circuit 24. The drive circuit 24 reads the data from the memory 22 and drives the laser diode 14 in accordance with the data transmission start signal from the reception circuit 28.

  The configuration and basic operation of the data receiving device 12 will be described. The condensing lens 30 condenses the signal light and the dummy light output from the data transmission device 10 and enters the photodiode 32. The photodiode 32 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the incident light intensity. The control circuit 34 detects the output electric signal level of the photodiode 32, and controls the transmission circuit 36, the data demodulation circuit 38, and the speaker 44 according to the detection result.

  As a first function of the control circuit 34, when the incident light level of the photodiode 32 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the control circuit 34 notifies the data transmission device 10 (the reception circuit 28) that reception is possible. The data demodulation circuit 38 is instructed to start data demodulation. That is, whether the optical axis 20 of the output light of the data transmission device 10 is aligned with the light receiving unit (30, 32) of the data reception device 12 such that the control circuit 34 can receive the data output from the data transmission device 10. It functions as a reception possibility determination device for determining whether or not.

  The transmission circuit 36 transmits a receivable signal to the reception circuit 28 of the data transmission device 10 in response to a command from the control circuit 34. The data demodulating circuit 38 starts demodulating data carried by the output electrical signal of the photodiode 32 in response to a command from the control circuit 34. The control circuit 34 causes the display device 42 to display the start of demodulation of received data. When the demodulation of the received data is completed, the data demodulation circuit 38 notifies the control circuit 34 to that effect, and the control circuit 34 causes the display device 42 to display the completion of the demodulation of the received data, that is, the reception end.

  The signal transmission medium from the transmission circuit 36 to the reception circuit 28 may be any of light, sound, and radio. Since the receivable signal is a trigger signal for starting transmission, it can be used even with a very low-speed transmission medium. Infrared communication with a wide viewing angle, short-range radio represented by Bluetooth, pulse sound, and the like can be used.

  As a second function, the control circuit 34 causes the speaker 44 to output a sound having a frequency or volume corresponding to the incident light level of the photodiode 32 even when the incident light level of the photodiode 32 is less than a predetermined value. For example, a high sound is output when the incident light level of the photodiode 32 is low, and a low sound is output when the incident light level of the photodiode 32 is high. With this sound, the user of the transmission device 10 can recognize the degree of optical axis alignment with the reception device 12.

  As a method of notifying the user of the light reception level of the data receiving device, in addition to the sound level, the magnitude of the sound, the pulse interval of the pulse sound, the light emission intensity or blinking cycle of the light emitting diode, or the numerical display of the light reception level, etc. is there.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing how the signal light and the dummy light are spread. For easy understanding, an optical power distribution on a cross section orthogonal to the optical axis 20 is shown. 50 indicates the optical power distribution of the signal light, and 52 indicates the optical power distribution of the dummy light. The peak power of the signal light is higher than the peak power of the dummy light. The threshold value of the control circuit 34 is set lower than the peak power of the dummy light. At the time of data transmission, the direction of the data transmission device 10 is rotated sideways so that the optical axis 20 crosses the light receiving unit (the lens 30 and the photodiode 32) of the data reception device 12. The optical axis 20 is incident on the light receiving unit (lens 30 and photodiode 32) of the data receiving device 12, but neither the front optical axis 20a nor the subsequent optical axis 20b is incident on the light receiving unit of the data receiving device 12. . The optical axis moves in the order of reference numerals 20a, 20, and 20b. In this scanning, first, the light receiving level of the photodiode 32 exceeds the threshold by the dummy light, and then the signal light enters the photodiode 32.

  A method of using the present embodiment will be specifically described. In the present embodiment, the data transmission device 10 is held by hand, and the optical axis 20 does not stably match the light receiving unit of the data reception device 12. The data receiving device 12 can also be a handheld portable terminal. In this case, it is extremely difficult to stably align the optical axis of the spatial transmission path between the data transmitting device 10 and the data receiving device 12, and therefore a large amount of data is transferred from the data transmitting device 10 to the data receiving device. 12 is difficult to transmit. In this embodiment, this problem is solved by a sequence as shown in FIG.

  In the data transmission device 10, a transmission preparation state in which dummy light is output is set by an operating device (not shown). The data reception device 12 is in a reception preparation state by operation of an operation device (not shown) or at all times.

  In a state where the data transmitting apparatus 10 outputs dummy light (S1), the holder of the data transmitting apparatus 10 determines that the optical axis 20 of the signal light is the light receiving unit (the lens 30 and the photodiode 32) of the data receiving apparatus 12. The direction of the data transmission device 10 is rotated horizontally so as to cross. Since the beam spread of the dummy light is large, the output electric signal level of the photodiode 32 increases as the optical axis 20 becomes closer to the light receiving unit of the data receiving device 12 to some extent. The user of the data transmission device 10 can confirm the change in the light reception state by the monitor output sound of the light reception level of the data reception device 12.

  When the output electric signal level of the photodiode 32 exceeds the threshold value indicating the receivable level, the control circuit 34 causes the transmission circuit 36 to transmit a receivable signal (S2) and causes the data demodulation circuit 38 to prepare for data demodulation. When the reception circuit 28 of the data transmission device 10 receives the receivable signal from the transmission circuit 36, it applies a data transmission start signal to the drive circuit 24. The drive circuit 24 reads the data stored in the memory 22 in response to the data transmission start signal from the reception circuit 28, and drives the laser diode 14 according to the read data. Thereby, the laser diode 14 outputs the signal light (S3) that carries the data read from the memory 22. Of course, in consideration of the average scanning speed of the optical axis 20, the drive circuit 24 drives the laser diode 14 at a timing such that the signal light enters the photodiode 32 during the scanning of the optical axis 20.

  The signal light output from the laser diode 14 enters the photodiode 32 via the optical system 18 and the lens 30 and is converted into an electric signal by the photodiode 32. The data demodulating circuit 38 prepares for data demodulation based on the receivable signal that precedes in time from the control circuit 34, and demodulates data from the electrical signal output from the photodiode 32. The demodulated data is stored in the memory 40.

  When the transmission of data to be transmitted to the data receiving device 12 is completed, the drive circuit 24 drives the laser diode 14 with a data transmission end signal indicating the end of data transmission. Thereby, the laser diode 14 outputs signal light (S4) indicating the end of data transmission. This signal light enters the photodiode 32 through the optical system 18 and the lens 30 and is converted into an electric signal by the photodiode 32. In accordance with the data transmission end signal output from the photodiode 32, the data demodulation circuit 38 ends the data demodulation and causes the display device 42 to display the normal end of the data demodulation.

  In the present embodiment, the holder of the data transmission device 10 may scan the optical axis 20 at a substantially constant scanning speed, that is, swing it sideways. In this embodiment, since the beam spread of the signal light is reduced, a sufficient amount of signal light can enter the photodiode 32. As a result, the transmission rate of the signal light is, for example, 1 Gbps. Can be set to high speed. Since the signal light traverses the photodiode 32, the signal light is incident on the photodiode 32 for a very short time. Even if the time when the signal light is incident on the photodiode 32 is so short, the data transmission rate is sufficiently high. For example, even for image data such as 1 MB, the data transmission apparatus 10 uses the method of this embodiment. The data can be transmitted to the data receiving device 12.

  Since the data demodulation circuit 38 is preparing for data demodulation by the dummy light, the data demodulation circuit 38 can start data demodulation as soon as the photodiode 32 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the incidence of the signal light. The data demodulation circuit 38 stores the demodulated data in the memory 40. When the data demodulation circuit 38 detects a data transmission end signal from the output electric signal of the photodiode 32, the data demodulation circuit 38 ends the data demodulation. When the demodulation of necessary data has been completed normally, normal reception is displayed on the display device 42. When the data cannot be received normally, such as when the spatial data transmission is interrupted, the data demodulation circuit 38 displays an abnormal data reception, that is, a reception failure on the screen of the display device 42. As a result of normal / abnormal reception, notification by voice may be adopted instead of display by the display device 42, or display by the display device 42 and notification by voice may be used in combination.

  The user of the data transmission device 10 retries the sequence shown in FIG. 3 when reception failure is displayed on the display device 42 of the data reception device 12. In this embodiment, since the transmission rate can be increased, the time required for data transmission is shortened. Therefore, it is sufficient that the optical axis of the spatial transmission path between the data transmission device 10 and the data reception device 12 is aligned for a very short time, and the optical axis of the output signal light from the data transmission device 10 can be manually shaken sideways. A large amount of data can be reliably transmitted to the data receiving device 12.

  As another simple method of matching the optical axis of the spatial transmission path between the data transmission device 10 and the data reception device 12, the data transmission device 10 and the data are set so that the light reception level of the photodiode 32 becomes a required value or more. There is a method in which the arrangement relationship of the receiving device 12 is manually set, and the data transmitting device 10 and, if necessary, the data receiving device 12 are stopped at that position.

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the laser diode 16 that outputs dummy laser light is omitted by adopting an optical system that is resistant to optical axis deviations in the light receiving unit of the data receiving device 112.

  The data transmission device 110 is, for example, a mobile phone, and transmits data to the data reception device 112 by optical space transmission. The optical axis adjustment of the optical space transmission path between the data transmission device 110 and the data reception device 112 is performed manually. However, as described later, since high-speed transmission is possible, data transmission itself can be completed in a short time.

  The configuration and basic operation of the data transmitting apparatus 110 will be described. The data transmission device 110 includes a laser diode 114 that generates signal light for carrying data, and a projection lens 118 that outputs the output signal light of the laser diode 114 to the outside with a narrow beam.

  The memory 122 stores data to be transmitted, for example, image data. The drive circuit 124 normally drives the laser diode 114 in pulses, and when a data transmission start signal is input from the receiving circuit 128 described later, reads the data from the memory 122 and drives the laser diode 114 according to the data. The laser diode 114 outputs a simple pulse laser beam before data transmission, and outputs a signal light that carries data read from the memory 122 by intensity modulation at the time of data transmission.

  The receiving circuit 128 receives a receivable signal from the data receiving device 112. When the reception circuit 128 receives the receivable signal, it applies a data transmission start signal to the drive circuit 124. The drive circuit 124 reads the data from the memory 122 and drives the laser diode 114 in accordance with the data transmission start signal from the reception circuit 128.

  The configuration and basic operation of the data receiving apparatus 112 will be described. The data receiving apparatus 112 includes a parabola 130 or a concave reflecting mirror and a photodiode 132 disposed at the focal point as light receiving means. The parabola 130 reflects the laser beam output from the data transmission device 10 and enters the photodiode 32. By using the parabola 130, it becomes strong against the shift of the optical axis. That is, as will be described later, even when the user of the data transmission device 110 swings the data transmission device 110 sideways and manually scans the optical axis 120, the period during which the laser light is incident on the photodiode 132 is relatively long. can do.

  The photodiode 132 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the incident light intensity. The control circuit 134 detects the output electric signal level of the photodiode 132 and controls the transmission circuit 136, the data demodulation circuit 138, and the speaker 144 according to the detection result.

  As a first function of the control circuit 134, when the incident light level of the photodiode 132 becomes equal to or higher than the level at which data can be received, the transmission circuit 136 notifies the data transmission device 10 (the reception circuit 28) that reception is possible. And the data demodulation circuit 38 is instructed to start data demodulation. In this embodiment, since there is no dummy laser light preceding the signal light, it is determined whether or not the optical power of the signal light obtained in the photodiode 132 is sufficient for data reception.

  The transmission circuit 136 transmits a receivable signal to the reception circuit 128 of the data transmission device 110 in response to a command from the control circuit 134. Further, the data demodulation circuit 138 starts demodulating data carried by the output electric signal of the photodiode 132 in response to a command from the control circuit 134. The control circuit 134 causes the display device 42 to display the start of demodulation of received data. When the demodulation of the received data is completed, the data demodulation circuit 138 notifies the control circuit 134 to that effect, and the control circuit 134 causes the display device 142 to display the completion of the demodulation of the received data, that is, the reception end.

  The signal transmission medium from the transmission circuit 136 to the reception circuit 128 may be any of light, sound, and radio. Since the receivable signal is a trigger signal for starting transmission, it can be used even with a very low-speed transmission medium. Infrared communication with a wide viewing angle, short-range radio represented by Bluetooth, pulse sound, and the like can be used.

  As a second function of the control circuit 134, even when the incident light level of the photodiode 132 is less than a level sufficient for data reception, the speaker 144 outputs a sound having a frequency or volume corresponding to the incident light level of the photodiode 132. Output from. For example, a high sound is output when the incident light level of the photodiode 132 is low, and a low sound is output when the incident light level of the photodiode 132 is high. With this sound, the user of the data transmission device 110 can recognize the degree of optical axis alignment with the data reception device 112.

  As a method for notifying the user of the light reception level of the data reception device 112, in addition to the sound level, the magnitude of the sound, the pulse interval of the pulse sound, the light emission intensity or blinking cycle of the light emitting diode, or the numerical display of the light reception level, etc. There is also.

  In this embodiment, since there is no dummy laser beam preceding the signal light, the moment when the optical axes between the data transmission device 110 and the data reception device 112 are aligned, that is, actually, the data transmission device 110 to the data reception device 112. The moment when data can be transmitted by spatial propagation is determined by the output laser light intensity of the laser diode 114 on which the photodiode 132 is incident.

  A method of using the present embodiment will be specifically described. Also in this embodiment, the data transmission device 110 is held by hand, and the optical axis 120 does not match the light receiving unit of the data reception device 112 stably. The data receiving device 112 can also be a portable terminal on hand.

  The data transmission device 110 is set to a transmission preparation state in which the laser diode 114 outputs pulsed laser light. The data reception device 112 is in a reception preparation state by operating an operation device (not shown) or constantly.

  In a state where the data transmission device 110 is outputting pulsed laser light, the holder of the data transmission device 110 causes the optical axis 120 of the laser light to cross the incident window (not shown) of the light receiving unit of the data reception device 112. As described above, the direction of the data transmission device 110 is rotated horizontally. By using the parabola 130, incident light from a wide angle range can enter the photodiode 132. The control circuit 134 causes the speaker 144 to output a sound having a frequency corresponding to the output electric signal level of the photodiode 132.

  When the optical axis 120 is substantially aligned with the photodiode 132, the output electric signal level of the photodiode 132 exceeds the threshold for data reception. Then, the control circuit 134 causes the transmission circuit 136 to transmit a receivable signal and causes the data demodulation circuit 138 to prepare for data demodulation. When the reception circuit 128 of the data transmission device 110 receives the receivable signal from the transmission circuit 136, it applies a data transmission start signal to the drive circuit 124. The drive circuit 124 reads the data stored in the memory 122 in response to the data transmission start signal from the reception circuit 128, and drives the laser diode 114 according to the read data. Thereby, the laser diode 114 outputs signal light that carries data read from the memory 122.

  The signal light output from the laser diode 114 is incident on the photodiode 132 through the optical system 118 and the parabola 130, and is converted into an electric signal by the photodiode 132. The data demodulating circuit 138 prepares for data demodulation by the receivable signal that precedes in time from the control circuit 134, and demodulates data from the electrical signal output from the photodiode 132. The demodulated data is stored in the memory 140.

  When the transmission of data to be transmitted to the data receiving device 112 is completed, the driving circuit 124 drives the laser diode 114 with a data transmission end signal indicating the end of data transmission. As a result, the laser diode 114 outputs signal light indicating the end of data transmission. This signal light enters the photodiode 132 through the optical system 118 and the lens 130, and is converted into an electric signal by the photodiode 132. In accordance with the data transmission end signal output from the photodiode 132, the control circuit 134 ends the data demodulation of the data demodulation circuit 138 and causes the display device 142 to display the normal end of data reception.

  The period in which the optical axis 120 is aligned with the photodiode 132 so that data can be transmitted from the data transmitting apparatus 110 to the data receiving apparatus 112 in the process of swinging the direction of the data transmitting apparatus 110 is, for example, a signal of 1 Gbps. The length is sufficient to finish transmitting data of about 1 MB (bytes) with light.

  In the present embodiment, the holder of the data transmission device 110 may swing the optical axis 120 sideways at a substantially constant swing speed. In this embodiment, since the parabola 130 is used, a sufficient amount of signal light can be incident on the photodiode 132 even if the optical axis 120 of the signal light is slightly deviated. That is, the light receiving system is resistant to movement of the optical axis 120.

  Since the beam spread of the signal light is reduced, a sufficient amount of signal light can enter the photodiode 132. As a result, the transmission rate of the signal light can be set at a high speed, for example, 1 Gbps. . Although the signal light traverses the photodiode 132 in a timely manner, it crosses the photodiode 132 in a longer time than in the first embodiment, so that the signal light can enter the photodiode 132 in a longer time than in the first embodiment. Even if the time when the signal light is incident on the photodiode 32 is so short, the data transmission rate is sufficiently high. For example, even for image data such as 1 MB, the data transmission apparatus 110 uses the method of this embodiment. The data can be transmitted to the data receiving device 112.

  When demodulation of necessary data has been completed normally, normal reception is displayed on the display device 142. When the data cannot be received normally, such as when the spatial data transmission is interrupted, the control circuit 134 displays data reception abnormality, that is, reception failure on the screen of the display device 142. As a result of normal / abnormal reception, notification by sound by the speaker 144 may be adopted instead of display by the display device 142, or display by the display device 142 and sound notification by the speaker 144 may be used in combination.

  When the user of the data transmission device 110 is notified of the reception failure by the display device 42 and / or the speaker 144 of the data reception device 112, the above-described sequence is retried. In this embodiment, since the transmission rate can be increased, the time required for data transmission is shortened. Therefore, although it is longer than the first embodiment, the optical axis of the spatial transmission path between the data transmission device 110 and the data reception device 112 may be aligned for a very short time, and the optical axis of the output signal light of the data transmission device 110 Even with the method of manually shaking the camera, a large amount of data can be reliably transmitted to the data receiving device 112.

  It is obvious that the configuration of the light receiving unit (the parabola 130 and the photodiode 132) of the data receiving device 112 can be applied to the first embodiment that uses dummy light from a light source different from the signal light.

  A plurality of photodiodes may be arranged in parallel so that a laser beam from a wide range can be received. FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a third embodiment in which the data receiving device 112 of the second embodiment is changed as described above.

  In the data receiving device 112a, a photodiode array consisting of a plurality of photodiodes 152-1 to 152-n is arranged on a condensing surface of a lens 150 that condenses signal light, and an adder 154 includes a photodiode 152-. 1 to 152-n output electric signals are added. The plurality of photodiodes 152-1 to 152-n are arranged linearly, for example, as a line sensor, or two-dimensionally, like a camera function image sensor. The adder 154 is realized by a so-called wired OR on the circuit. The electrical signal output from the adder 154 is applied to the control circuit 134 and the data demodulation circuit 138. Since the operation of the other components of the data demodulator 112a is the same as that of the second embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In this embodiment, even if the optical axis 120 is shifted laterally from the optical axis of the condenser lens 150 or has an angle, there is a probability that the signal light is incident on any one of the photodiodes 152-1 to 152-n. Get higher. If the signal light is incident on any one of the photodiodes 152-1 to 152-n, an electrical signal corresponding to the signal light is incident on the control circuit 134 and the data demodulation circuit 138. Therefore, the data reception device 112a is a data transmission device. The data transmitted from 110 can be received.

  In this embodiment, even when the optical axis 120 of the signal light is scanned across the condensing lens 150, the signal light can be received for a longer time than when a single photodiode is used, and , Strong against optical axis deviation. Thereby, a large amount of data can be transmitted from the data transmission device 110 to the data reception device 112a by high-speed signal light.

  The configuration of the light receiving unit (the condensing lens 150 and the plurality of photodiodes 152-1 to 152-n) of the data receiving device 112a is also applied to the first embodiment using dummy light from a light source different from the signal light. Obviously we can do it.

  A portable information device such as a cellular phone, a computer, a printer, a video device, an information box, and the like can be used as any of the data transmission devices 10, 110 and the data reception devices 12, 112, 112a. The information box is a data providing device that can provide an electronic book, music data, travel guide data, and the like to the user, and may be connected to a network or installed stand-alone.

  Each of the above embodiments is used for data transmission between portable information devices, data transmission from portable information devices to computers, printers, video devices, information appliances or information boxes, and data transmission from information boxes to portable information devices. Is available. When the data transmission devices 10 and 110 are information boxes, the optical axes 20 and 120 of the signal light are automatically reciprocated and the user receives the light receiving unit of the portable terminal that is within the scanning range of the optical axis 20. In this way, the portable terminal may be directed to the signal light output unit of the information box.

  Data transmitted between portable information devices is, for example, image data, moving image data, address book data, and other data files. The data transmitted from the information box to the mobile terminal is, for example, music data, moving image data, book data, product information (travel guide, real estate property information, catalog, etc.), etc. Download to your mobile device. Conversely, it can also be used to upload photographed image data from the mobile terminal to the information box. Also, in this embodiment, transmission of video data from a video recording device such as an HDD video recorder to a portable terminal, transmission of music data from a DVD, CD, or MD playback device to the portable terminal, the car navigation device and the portable terminal It can also be applied to data transmission between.

  Furthermore, this embodiment can also be applied to data transmission from an information box installed at or near a ticket gate of a railway station to a mobile terminal. For example, when the owner of the mobile terminal passes through the ticket gate or the like, information such as peripheral map data, an exit guide map, a local guide map, and peripheral store information can be downloaded from the information box to the mobile terminal.

  Although the invention has been described with reference to specific illustrative embodiments, various modifications and alterations may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. This is obvious to an engineer in the field to which the present invention belongs, and such changes and modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

It is a schematic block diagram of one Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the beam spread and intensity distribution of signal light and dummy light. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of a present Example. It is a schematic block diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the third embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

10: Data transmitter 12: Data receiver 14: Laser diode 16: Laser diode 18: Projection optical system 18a: Half mirrors 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e: Lenses 20, 20a, 20b: Optical axis 22: Memory 24: Drive Circuit 26: Drive circuit 28: Reception circuit 30: Condensing lens 32: Photo diode 34: Control circuit 36: Transmission circuit 38: Data demodulation circuit 40: Memory 42: Display device 44: Speaker 50: Optical power distribution 52 of signal light : Optical power distribution of dummy light for optical axis determination 110: Data transmitters 112 and 112 a: Data receiver 114: Laser diode 118: Optical systems 120, 120 a and 120 b: Optical axis 122: Memory 124: Drive circuit 128: Receiver circuit 130: Parabolic 132: Photodiode 134: Control circuit 136: Transmission Road 138: data demodulation circuit 140: memory 142: display device 144: speaker 150: condenser lens 152-1~152-n: photodiode

Claims (18)

A data transmission device (10) capable of outputting on the same optical axis the dummy light for optical axis determination and the signal light having a beam spread smaller than the beam spread of the dummy light for optical axis determination is a data reception device (12) The optical axis determination dummy light is scanned and output so as to cross the light receiving portion of
When the data receiving device (12) receives the optical axis determination dummy light having a predetermined light level or higher, it notifies the data transmitting device (10) that reception is possible and prepares to receive data.
The data transmission device (10) outputs data to the data reception device (12) with the signal light in accordance with the notification of the reception possibility from the data reception device (12),
A data transmission method, wherein the data receiving device (12) receives the signal light by receiving the signal light from the data transmitting device (10).   2. The data transmission method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of outputting information indicating normal reception when the data receiving device (12) normally receives data from the data transmitting device (10).   2. The data transmission method according to claim 1, wherein the optical power of the signal light is greater than the optical power of the optical axis determination dummy light. A data transmission system for transmitting data from a data transmission device (10) to a data reception device (12) by spatial transmission,
The data transmission device (10)
A laser light source (14) for generating signal light;
A dummy light source (16) for generating a dummy light for optical axis determination;
An optical system (18) for making the beam spread of the signal light smaller than the beam spread of the optical axis determination dummy light and outputting the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light on the same optical axis;
A receiving circuit (28) for receiving a receivable signal from the data receiving device (12);
A driving circuit (24) for outputting the signal light carrying the data to the laser light source in accordance with reception of a receivable signal from the data receiving device (12) by the receiving circuit (28).
The optical axis of the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light can be scanned across the light receiving unit of the data receiving device,
The data receiving device (12)
A light receiver (32) for receiving the optical axis determination dummy light and the signal light;
A level determiner (34) for determining the level of the output electrical signal of the light receiver (32);
A transmission circuit (36) that transmits the receivable signal to the data transmission device (10) when the output electrical signal of the light receiver (32) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level according to the determination result of the level determination unit (34). When,
According to the determination result of the level determiner (34), when the output electric signal of the light receiver (32) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, data demodulation from the output electric signal of the light receiver (32) is prepared, and the light reception A data demodulating circuit (38) for demodulating data included in the output electric signal of the device (32);
Reception result notifying means for notifying the reception result of the data (42)
A data transmission system comprising:   5. The data transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the optical power of the signal light is greater than the optical power of the optical axis determination dummy light.   The data transmission system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the data transmission device (10) is a portable terminal. A portable terminal device for transmitting data to the data receiving device (12) by spatial transmission,
A laser light source (14) for generating signal light;
A dummy light source (16) for generating a dummy light for optical axis determination;
An optical system (18) for making the beam spread of the signal light smaller than the beam spread of the optical axis determination dummy light and outputting the signal light and the optical axis determination dummy light on the same optical axis;
A receiving circuit (28) for receiving a receivable signal from the data receiving device (12);
A driving circuit (24) for outputting the signal light carrying the data to the laser light source in accordance with reception of a receivable signal from the data receiving device (12) by the receiving circuit (28).
A portable terminal device comprising:   The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the data transmission device is a mobile phone. From the data transmission device (110) that outputs a laser beam that does not carry data in a data transmission standby state and outputs a signal light that is a laser beam that carries data in accordance with a data transmission start command, the data reception device (112, 112a). A data transmission method for transmitting the data by spatial propagation,
Shake the data transmission device (110) sideways so that the laser beam output from the data transmission device (110) crosses the light receiving part of the data reception device (112, 112a),
When the data receiving device (112, 112a) receives the laser light of a predetermined light level or higher, it notifies the data transmitting device (110) that reception is possible and prepares for data reception.
The data transmission device (110) outputs the signal light to the data reception device (112, 112a) in accordance with the notification of the reception possibility from the data reception device (112, 112a),
A data transmission method, wherein the data receiving device (112, 112a) receives the signal light from the data transmitting device (110) and receives the data.   The data receiving device (112) includes a concave reflecting mirror (130) for condensing the laser light from the data transmitting device (110), and the laser light condensed by the concave reflecting mirror (130) as an electrical signal. 10. The data transmission method according to claim 9, further comprising a light receiver (132) for conversion.   The data receiving device (112a) is disposed on a condensing optical system (150) for condensing the laser light from the data transmitting device (110) and a predetermined surface of the condensing optical system (150), and is a laser. A plurality of light receivers (152-1 to 152-n) for converting light into electric signals, and an adder (154) for adding output electric signals of the plurality of light receivers. 10. The data transmission method according to 9.   The data transmission according to claim 9, wherein the data receiving device (112, 112a) outputs information indicating normal reception when receiving data from the data transmitting device (110) normally. Method. A data transmission system for transmitting data from a data transmission device (110) to a data reception device (112) by spatial transmission,
The data transmission device (110)
A laser light source (114) for outputting laser light;
An optical system (118) for projecting the laser light to the outside;
A receiving circuit (128) for receiving a receivable signal from the data receiving device (112);
A drive circuit (124) for driving the laser light source to convey the data in accordance with reception of a receivable signal from the data receiving device (112) by the reception circuit (128).
And
The data receiving device (112)
A light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) for converting the laser light into an electrical signal;
A condensing optical system (130, 150) for condensing the laser beam from the data transmission device (110) onto the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154);
A level determination unit (134) for determining the level of the output electric signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154);
According to the determination result of the level determination unit (134), when the output electrical signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the data transmission device (110) receives the reception. A transmission circuit (136) for transmitting a possible signal;
According to the determination result of the level determiner (134), when the output electric signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the output electric signal of the light receiver (132) A data demodulating circuit (138) for demodulating data contained in the output electric signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154),
Reception result notifying means for notifying the reception result of the data (142)
A data transmission system comprising:   14. The data transmission system according to claim 13, wherein the condensing optical system comprises a concave reflecting mirror (130).   The light receiver includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (152-1 to 152-n) and an adder (154) that adds output electric signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (152-1 to 152-n). The data transmission system according to claim 13, wherein A data receiving device for receiving data conveyed by spatial transmission of laser light from a data transmitting device (110),
A light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) for converting the laser light into an electrical signal;
A condensing optical system (130, 150) for condensing the laser beam from the data transmission device (110) onto the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154);
A level determination unit (134) for determining the level of the output electric signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154);
According to the determination result of the level determination unit (134), when the output electrical signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the data transmission device (110) receives the reception. A transmission circuit (136) for transmitting a possible signal;
According to the determination result of the level determiner (134), when the output electric signal of the light receiver (132, 152-1 to 152-n, 154) is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the output electric signal of the light receiver (132) A data demodulating circuit (138) for demodulating data contained in the output electrical signal of the light receiver (132),
Reception result notifying means for notifying the reception result of the data (142)
A data receiving apparatus comprising:   17. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the condensing optical system comprises a concave reflecting mirror (130).   The light receiver includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (152-1 to 152-n) and an adder (154) that adds output electric signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements (152-1 to 152-n). The data receiving device according to claim 16, wherein

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